Children hate instructions, plus they rarely work.
Rather than start an activity with a mini-lecture on content that is probably obvious, let the child jump in, and the provide help when they need it. A good example is The Tuttles (by Legacy Interactive). It is a very easy to play side scrolling adventure, with floating question marks. When you move over a question mark, a suggestion for how to jump appears. Instructions are broken into bits, the relate directly to the task at hand. This technique matches the Piaget's preoperational level of thinking.
Over the Shoulder Help
Children hate instructions, plus they rarely work.
Rather than start an activity with a mini-lecture on content that is probably obvious, let the child jump in, and the provide help when they need it. A good example is The Tuttles (by Legacy Interactive). It is a very easy to play side scrolling adventure, with floating question marks. When you move over a question mark, a suggestion for how to jump appears. Instructions are broken into bits, the relate directly to the task at hand. This technique matches the Piaget's preoperational level of thinking.
W. Buckleitner, 1/09